Weft detector and bobbin therefor



o. v.l PAYNE 1,873,468

WEFT DETECTOR AND BOBBIN THEREFOR Aug. 23, 1932.

fm1 W immuni inl f mini v 1 Iv l/E/v TUR' @5L-Af? PA YNE E @VMM F154 l Awww/V5 Patented ug. 23,1932

UNITED STATES' PATENT oFFICE oscea v. PAYNE, E woRoEsTEE, MASSACHUSETTS, assreivon To onor/Irren 'a xNowLEs Looivr woaxs, oEwoEcEsTEa, MAssacHUsETTs, A'coEPoaaTToN 0E MASSACHUSETTS y,

i WEET 4DETECTOR AND Bonnin THEREEOR Application ledugust 14, 1930. Serial No. 475,243.

This invention relates to weft detectorsifor bobbins, supplied with weft having electric current carrying properties, such Aas ,metallici thread, and it is the general object'of the invention to rely upon non-completion of an electric circuit when the weft is exhausted to effect a change in the operation of the loom.

, Whenweft of a metallic nature is carried by a shuttle it isfrequently desirableto stop the loom either at or prior to weft exhaustion. This result is preferred to weft lreplenishment because of the nature of the weft although the invention set forth herein is equally applicable to looms where automatic lweft replenishment mayV follow weft exhaustion. Some forms of metallic yarn employ a thin layer of metal such as gold or'silver wound spirally on a coreofsilk thread. The weft therefore presents an electric currentV conducting surface and it isan important ob]ect of my present invention to employ an electri-` cally operating weft detector which will act by a current flowing through the weft to dis# able change inducing mechanism, the parts being so arranged thatl when weft is absent the carrier which is an insulator will prevent establishment of 4a circuit and cause the change mechanism to operate.

With these and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination' and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims. i

In the accompanying drawing wherein a convenient embodimentof my invention is set forth, i Y

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view on an enlargedV scaleof certain ofthe structureshown in Fig.

1, the shuttles being shown in section,

.Figa 3 is va vertical section on line V23T-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a plane viewon an enlarged scale of parts shown inFig. 1, the solenoid being shownpartly in section. l f

f Referring to Fig. l, I have shown a loom frame 10 and a lay 11 provided with a shuttlevbox 12 to receive a shuttle S. yThe usual binder 13 maybe 4provided and the shuttle is provided with a bobbin B on which is wound a mass of weft W unlike the. usual weft in that it has capacity for conducting electric current. The weftmay be metallic and -made of gold or silveror any other desired metal. "A bracket 14 isv secured to the side of the loom and has an arm 15 provided with a ver-` tical slot 16 in which reciprocates a block 17 to the upper end of which'is pivoted a oating actuator leveri18. The left'hand end of 60 said lever as shownin Fig. y1 may be connected t0 an upwardly extending rod 19, while the right hand en d thereof is mounted to reciprocate in a vertical' slot 20 formed in a horn 21 projecting from the bracket 14j In the operation of the loom when'a weft magazine is used the block 17 is caused to reciprocate during a two-pick cycle, moving down Vfrom a normal intermediate position when the shuttle is on the Vnear side of the loom, and moving upwardly from such normal position when the shuttleis on the oppo- Y rear endbeing reduced as at 26. Slli'dablyV mounted in each of these bores or holes is a metallicV feeler ywire 27 havingV a collet v28 slidable in the large part of the bore 24 and a hole therein 32 through which the feeler which, extends beyond the collet to lie nor.

wire 27 extends.A Y

Associatedvwith each of the studs 31 is a contact plate 33 through which extends a clamping screw. 34 to hold a terminal 35, in

contact with' the plate byrmeans Vof a lock.V Washer'36. 4The head ofthe stud is formed as a nut 37 and accords means for tightening the stud in the body 22. Beceulse of the ma- Y terial of the body 22, the'wires are insulat- `ed from each other and-the'v plates 33 are out of contact at all times. e

The detecting mechanism D is illustrated as a means for passing current through the weft WV, but I Wish it to be understood that I am not limited to, this particular type of detector',jinalsmuch as my invention'may be usecl'with any form of electrical detector wherein a circuitY is established through the weft.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, it will be seen that I have mounted a solenoid 40 on the' bracket 14 in liXed relation with respect thereto and have providedk the Same with a plunger or controller pin 41 having a collet 42 thereon to engage a portion of the horn` 21. The plunger o r controllerV has a part mally under the right hand end of the actuator lever 18. lA light compression spring 43 lies between the collet and the solenoid and tends to holdthe controllernormally under theactua'torlever as shown in Fig. 4, but said spring is'suiiiciently weakV to be overpowered by,V themagnetic attractiveeforce of the solenoid onthe controller, which is ofcourse made of magnetic material. y

.Under normal conditions the spring 43 will hold the colletin rearmostposition with the controller under the actuator. As the lay..advances with the shuttle on',v that side thereof adjacent the described mechanism, wires 27 will have Contact with a s ufiicient supply of weft `W so that current will; flowl through the c following circuit; source of electricpower 5,0, wire 51, .solenoid- 40, Wire52, leftE hand terminal 35 and'corresponding wire 27, the metallic weft on the bobbin, the other wire 27 and its corresponding terminali 35, wire 53, back to the battery. Current flowing in this circuit will energize the solenoid and cause the same vto move the controller forwardly tothe dotted line position shown inlFig. 4. The block 17 movesdownwardly while'the circuit is closed; andtherod v19is therefore left unmoved.

manually replenished.V

When insuificient weft is present, howbe closed because the detector wires will not be electrically connected7 the bobbin in this instance being formed of insulating material to accomplish thisv result. The spring`43 will hold the controller under the actuator lever so that as theblock 17 descends said controller becomes a pivot for the actuatorrlever 18 to cause depression of the rod 19.

kIt is deemed sufficient for the' purposes of the present invention to state that when rod 19 moved downwardly it willgbring about a. change theope'ratifon of the loom. This change may be inthe nature' of weft replenishment, in which"'case therod19 will act in a manner similar to the corresponding rod shown inV Patent No. 1,030,748. If loom stoppage desired depression of rod 19 may be rendered effective tocontrol any one of the-well-known'loom stopping devices to arrest motion of the loom so that weft may be l From the foregoing itV Will be seen that I haveprovided avery simple means for ef-l fecting a changeA in the operation of a loom having metallic weft by causing the latter to establish a current which disables mechanism normally operative. to bring about a change in the loom, absencevofthe weft permitting theY mechanism toA perform its normal function. It isisu'fficient if the controllertends to sto-p the loom or otherwise'alter its operation at that time. only when1 the previously traced circuit is closed. rEhe usual practice in connection with electrical weft detectors is to keep the yarnl engaging electrodescorresponding to, wires 27 insulated from each other so long as a sullicientsupply of weft is present, depletion of the weftuncovering the Current' conducting? surface which heleetrizcallyconnects. the electriodes.4 They invention Set forth. herein, epe/,rates on, the oppowound sha-llbesomadethat thepart thereof;

ever, the circuit previously traced will not which, .enga-ges theI feeler-` fingersy orlies opposite them willpreventthe, flow,- ot current. The usual wooden or paper bobbins or cops will accomplish this` 'result-v without additional treatment, flllCl, the detector may be of the usual electrical type 'where a circuit is closedk within the shuttle acrossthe feeler electrode. yThe control mechanism, is'very Well-known, being the same as that which is embodiedV on practically all multicolor 'weft replenishing looms and operatingin they same general manner.

Having thus described my invention., it

-Will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled'intheart without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention and I- do not wish to vbe limited to the details herein disclosed; but' what 1 claimis: Y

' conducting properties,

1. In a loom operating with a Wound mass of electric current conducting weft, electro magnetic means to effect a change in the operation of the loom and including an electrical detector to contact with the Weft, said means acting to effect a change in the operation of the loom when the weft is depleted and incapable of conducting current from the detector. e

2. Ina loom operating With a Wound mass of electric current conducting vveft, means tending at a given point in the cycle of the loom to e'ect a change in the operation of the loom, and an electro-magnetically actuated device dependent upon a loW of electric current through the weft at said given point to render said means ineffective to change the operation of the loom.

3.' In a loom operating with a Wound mass of. electric current conducting weft, means normally operative to eect a change in the operation of the loom, and an electro-mag netic device to be energized by electric current iioWing through the Weft and render said means ineffective to change the operation of the loom.

4. In a loom operating with a Wound mass of electric current conducting weft, means tending at a given point in the cycle of the loom to eect a change in the operation of the loom, and an electro-magnetic device to be energized by electric current flowing through the weft and render said means ineffective to change the operation of the loom.

5; In a.loom operating With a weft carrier formed of insulating material on Which is Wound a mass of vveft having electric current conducting properties, mechanism normally effective tocause a change inthe loom, and electro-magnetic means dependent upon the flow of current through the weft to render said means inoperative. p

6. In a loom operating With a weft carrier formed of insulating material on Which is Wound a mass of weft having electric current conducting properties, electro-magnetically controlled means dependent upon inability of electric current to flow through the bobbin due to weft absence to effect a change in the operation of the loom.

7 In a loom operating with a weft carrier formed of insulating material on which is Wound a mass of weft having electric current electromagnetic means dependent upon the flow of electric current through the Weft to maintain loom operation and effective When current fails controlled bythe feeler to effect a change inV the operation ofthe loom, current oWing through the weft from the feeler rendering said means ineffective to stop the loom and .failure of current to flow byreason of contact between the carrier and feeler causing said means to effect a change in theoperation of the loom. v

`9. In a loom, a Weft carrier of insulating material, a Wound mass of Weft on said carrier having electric current conducting properties, an electrical Weft detector positioned to engage both the weft and the carrier, and

means controlled by the detector and de.

pendentV upon the inability of current to flow to engage both the Weft vand the surface,

means normally operative to stop the loom, said means being rendered inoperative when current can flow from the detector to the weft due to a sufficient presence of the latter and said means being effective to stop the loom When the detector engages the surface and is out of electric contact With the weft.

l1. In a loom, a source of electric power, an electro-magnetically operated controller for the loom, a Wound mass of electric current conducting weft, and means to determine the operation of the controller and dependent upon ability thereof to lconduct current from the source through the weft to the controller. Y v ,l

In testimony whereof I have hereunto alxed my signature.

OSCAR v. PAYNE to flow due to weft exhaustion to cause a rent conducting weft on the carrier, an electric feeler to engage the Weft and carrier,

and electro-magnetically actuated means 

